S.Harpal Singh
ADILABAD, JULY 30, 2024 Adilabad: The current spell of rainfall in Telangana, which is considered to be conducive weather, provides a strong hint that the State will script an agriculture success story, especially with respect to cotton. Despite moderate productivity at 8 quintals to 10 quintals of cotton per acre, the State is poised to produce over 5 crore quintals of the ‘white gold’ this kharif, a good augury for the cotton farmers.
“Yes, the monsoon is quite conducive for cotton and other crops. There should now be some respite in rainfall so that there is no water logging in fields especially in places like erstwhile Adilabad district,” opined former Agriculture Officer C. Narsingu,
Meanwhile, the President of the Cotton Association of India, Atul Ganatra, has informed through a press release that the apex cotton body has put its cotton pressing estimates for the current year (which ends on September 30, 2024) at 306.39 lakh bales of 170 kg each till end of June 2024. Cotton consumption in the country till June end was 240 lakh bales, he added.
Further, Mr. Ganatra revealed that the total cotton supply till the end of June is estimated to be 342.39 lakh bales. This consists of the pressed bales, imports of 7 lakh bales and the opening stock of 28.90 lakh bales.
According to statistics of the State Agriculture Department, cotton will be sown in about 56.5 lakh acres in Telangana which is the normal area for the crop this season. About 80 per cent of the normal area has been sown with different varieties of cotton so far.
The normal area under cotton in Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad, the northern most districts in Telangana is 3.9 lakh acres and 3.2 lakh acres respectively. However, sowing has been done in 4.35 lakh acres in the former and 3.2 lakh acres in the latter districts.
Cumulatively, the two districts are expected to produce 67 lakh quintals of cotton. The capacity to process raw cotton in the two districts far exceeds the production.
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Videos and pix show farmer activity and current status of cotton crop in Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad distict
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